musings on things jazzy and musical

Paradise – in praise of Broad Street Jazz

For somewhere that’s given me so much pleasure over the years, I really should record a little eulogy – and if you are ever in Bath you really should go there. I can’t remember exactly when I started referring to the little jazz CD shop tucked away just up off an alley of Broad Street in Bath as Paradise, but sometime in the mid- 90s it just seemed very apt. It makes a rendezvous like “see you in paradise” all too possible. Now of course its quite hard to think of anywhere in the country that is an exclusively Jazz shop (Rays in London is the only one I know of), mainly CDs but with some vinyl and DVDs as well. Run by Jon Turner now after founder Mike Sage retired a few years ago, its hard to leave without too many purchases (especially as Jon is liable to pop something on he thinks you might like) there’s a varied stock and if it can be got legally – jon will get it for you. Some how I can’t imagine ever saying “I’m just going to download some tracks from paradise” . Long may Broad Street Jazz continue. A very modest web presence here